What to See and Do in the Florida Everglades

Greater Miami and Miami Beach is less than an hour from some of the most unique ecosystems in the world: the Florida Everglades. A short drive down US-41 or Florida’s Turnpike brings you into a magical land where cypress trees stand tall over sawgrass marshes and hardwood hammocks, herons and osprey soar above alligators and otters and mangroves wind their way through still black water. Whether you’re headed to Everglades National Park or its surrounding wilderness, here’s the best way to experience the Florida Everglades.

Airboat Tours and Wildlife Shows

Perhaps the easiest and most accessible way of exploring the Florida Everglades is aboard an airboat, skimming across blackwater channels through the river of grass. They’re a great, family-friendly way to get inside the landscape while also offering a chance to catch wildlife shows and other only-in-Florida experiences.

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tours

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tours are the original, bringing visitors across the Everglades since 1945. The tour begins on the Tamiami Trail, less than 10 miles from the end of the SR-836 expressway. Tours travel around 9 miles through sawgrass and blackwater, where you’ll see Everglades animals like alligators, herons and turtles. After your tour, be sure to stop into Coopertown’s Everglades-inspired restaurant for some gator tail and frog legs, then settle back for an exclusive alligator show.

Everglades Safari Park

Venture further down the Tamiami Trail and you’ll find yourself at Everglades Safari Park, announcing itself with a giant alligator climbing over its roadside sign. Don’t worry: The alligator is fake, but the experiences inside are very real. Beyond the 30- to 40-minute airboat rides, you can also hike a small path through the wilderness to Gator Island, where gators and crocodiles bask in the sun. Each tour also includes a ticket to Everglades Safari Park’s wildlife show and a photo-op with a baby alligator.

Everglades Alligator Farm

If you’re going to the Everglades to get up close and personal with alligators, the Everglades Alligator Farm is the best place to do it. Begin your experience with a live reptile show, then stroll around the farm and see gators from only a few feet away. For the ultimate experience, book an alligator encounter where you’ll get to feed these impressive animals and get far closer than you would at the show. You can also book a private airboat tour, one of many VIP experiences Everglades Alligator Farm offers.

Miccosukee Airboat Rides

The Miccosukee Indian Reservation sits at the eastern edge of the Florida Everglades, boasting a resort, casino and educational Indian village. Inside the village are the Miccosukee Airboat Rides, guided by Indigenous tribe members who’ve been inhabiting the area for generations. You’ll learn the Miccosukee’s history while traversing the Everglades on a 40-minute tour, ending with a visit with a baby alligator. Afterward, explore the village and gift shop for hand-crafted souvenirs, then discover the tribal museum in the nearby casino.

Everglades National Park

The Florida Everglades spread through much of South Florida, but the wildest, most untouched sections sit inside Everglades National Park, where you can walk through cypress domes, paddle through blackwater mangroves, camp and even stay at a state-of-the-art ecolodge. Each of Everglades National Park’s 3 entrances and visitors’ centers offer different adventures, depending on what you’d like to do.

Shark Valley

Shark Valley is the easiest access point to Everglades National Park from Miami, just south of US-41 as you head west. It’s also the only section of the park with a continuous paved trail, a 15-mile loop popular with cyclists and beginner-level hikers. About halfway into the loop, you’ll encounter a 70-foot observation tower, offering the best panoramic view of Everglades National Park. You can also explore a couple of short walking trails – the 0.2-mile Bobcat Boardwalk and the 0.3-mile Ottercave Trail. Shark Valley Tram Tours offers guided, motorized tours of the trail, and bike rentals, as well.

Royal Palm

Head about 20 to 25 minutes west after the end of Florida’s Turnpike and you’ll be at the Royal Palm Entrance, gateway to the heart of Everglades National Park. Here, you can visit the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, which houses the most comprehensive exhibits on the Everglades’ history, ecology and wildlife. The best way to immerse yourself in the Everglades is to take a wet walk, where a guide leads you through cypress domes and waist-deep water for a first-hand look at what makes this ecosystem so special.

A short drive away, you’ll find the Royal Palm Visitors Center, with 2 of the park’s most popular walking trails. The Anhinga Trail is a 0.75-mile boardwalk over sawgrass marshes where you’re likely to spot an alligator laying around. The Gumbo Limbo trail is a half-mile walk through a hardwood hammock, where you’ll be shaded by dozens of native plant species. Both are flat and excellent for families with small children.

Guy Bradley Visitor Center in Flamingo

At the far southern end of the park sits the Guy Bradley Visitor Center in Flamingo. The journey is as much a part of Flamingo as the destination. The drive down Main Park Road takes you through the park’s most impressive landscapes. Flamingo is the park’s most remote slice of civilization, where the Flamingo Lodge offers bay views and air-conditioned rooms with kitchenettes, all made of shipping containers. It’s also home to Everglades National Park’s only restaurant. The lodge offers star-gazing series and nature walks, and the on-site marina has boat tours that head deep into the River of Grass, as well as kayak rentals and tours. Flamingo also has 2 campgrounds, as well as waterfront glamping tents, available from November 1 to April 30.

Those seeking more advanced hikes can take the Coastal Prairie Trail 7.5 miles to pristine Clubhouse Beach, the park’s most iconic destination for intrepid hikers. Shorter walks along the Bear Lake Trail, Bayshore Loop Trail and Christian Point Trail also offer chances to see birds and other Everglades wildlife.

Big Cypress National Preserve

Though not officially part of Everglades National Park, the Big Cypress National Preserve is equally as stunning, spanning over 700,000 acres around the Tamiami Trail. Stop into the Oasis Visitor Center and you’ll get information on how to go on a guided – or unguided – swamp walk through the preserve’s cypress domes. You can also join ranger-led adventures like bird watching and hikes on the Florida National Scenic Trail. Nearby, the Clyde Butcher Gallery offers swamp tours, and some of the best Everglades-inspired artwork.